


Checkmate

by scholarlydragon



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Banter, Chess, F/M, Romance, Sass, Sweet, wager
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-10-14 14:53:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17510720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scholarlydragon/pseuds/scholarlydragon
Summary: An important question leads to another wager with higher stakes.





	1. Question and Wager

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to Dawnie the Smol and Jessy for the inspiration, and to Jessy for invaluable help with the dialogue and flirting and flow.

The twin trails of steam spiral upward, scents of tea and coffee intertwining curiously, yet somehow complementary. I grin and steal a glance over my shoulder at my companion. I think I must be turning just a little bit soppy. Everything seems to be a metaphor for us. Lifting the mugs, I make my way back out of the kitchen and over to where she waits.

Persephone is sunk back into the couch, looking nearly boneless, her head tilted back against the cushion and her eyes closed. Her dark lavender skirt and white blouse stand out against the dark fabric of the cushions. It’s hardly surprising that she looks a little exhausted. She has been throwing herself into her work and developing her powers, not to mention handling her coursework on top of all of it. Between her schedule and mine, it’s been several days since we’ve managed to steal away time together, and I’ve been eagerly looking forward to having her over this evening. As I watch her for a moment, I find that I’m inordinately pleased to be able to provide her with a quiet space where she can relax this much and set aside responsibilities and worry.

I shake my head sheepishly. Definitely soppy.

The sudden thought intrudes, as I settle onto the couch next to her, that I’ve been able to relax more as well, for all that this is my own home. Not so long ago, I’d have left work and come home  _ to _ work, not even shedding my suit coat before heading to my home office to bury myself in papers and forms. Now, though, I’ve lost many of my “work mode” layers, suit coat and waistcoat gone, even my shoes, leaving only dark suspenders and trousers against my white dress shirt. There is something about having her here that has crept under my skin, loosening my formerly workaholic tendencies. There are times now that I don’t quite recognize myself anymore, but I find that I like what I see.

I huff out a soft, self-deprecating laugh. Absolutely soppy…

“Kore,” I call out softly, and her pink eyes blink open. “I brought your tea.”

“Mmm, thank you, Hades.” She smiles and straightens up, taking the mug. The smile widens as she inhales the fragrant steam. “Ooh, a new one!” Her eyes fall shut as she breathes in again, this time carefully, and I can almost see her sifting through the floral and herbal notes. I sit back against the cushions and sip my coffee, the steam briefly fogging the lenses of my glasses. A small smile crosses my face as I watch her, one that I couldn’t have stopped if I cared to. Searching out unusual teas to surprise her has become something of a hobby. I’ve been hoping for some time to stump her with guessing the mixes, but she hasn’t been wrong once. It’s no matter. I’d do it just to see her smile. 

“Hmm,” she muses, “Not green tea. Smells like white tea. Jasmine. Small hint of fruit… Raspberry?” She sips and smiles happily. “Thank you, Hades. It’s lovely.”

“You’re quite welcome,” I murmur as she settles against me, her back against my side and the mug of tea cradled in her hands. She tucks her bare feet almost under herself, her skirt draped across the cushions. I’ve grown used to such casual contact from her. It seems to come as naturally to her as breathing. There was a time, not so very long ago, that it would have discomfited me terribly just to have her so near. I’ve always been something of a “touch-me-not”. Now… I am uncomfortable, but for an entirely more pleasant, yet no less pressing, reason.

I know how I feel about her. If I’m being brutally honest, I’ve felt that way since the moment I laid eyes on her. But, for all that I am a king and lord of my domain, I am a bit of a coward in matters of the heart. It’s a failing I am well aware I have. I’ve been loathe to push this-  whatever we have - too far. As cliche and pathetic as it may sound, I’ve never truly had a friend before, my brothers notwithstanding. Certainly not one that does not care in the least about my title. As much as I may want her, I’m just as afraid to risk ruining this before I fully understand its fragility.

She sighs and settles closer, going nearly boneless again. She’s like a cat, liquidly finding the ideal position. Her head tilts back against my shoulder and it takes all my will stop myself from leaning down and pressing a kiss to her hair.

I chuckle but the sound comes out a little strained to my ears. “Comfortable?”

Her contented hum vibrates through my chest. “Mm. Yes. It’s nice to relax like this. Feels like home.”

It’s immediately obvious that, whatever she meant to say, it wasn’t that. I can feel her spine go stiff, her back muscles tensing.

Interesting.

It’s possible she meant it as nothing more than relaxing in the comfort of a friend, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s more than that. Between her phrasing and her instant discomfort- there is a puzzle here.

She starts to shift away, but I am suddenly unwilling to let this opportunity go. This is a risk, but I think I must take it. I’m not sure this kind of opportunity will come along again and I am burning to know the truth. Bringing my arm down off the back of the couch, I settle my fingers loosely over the top of her wrist. Nothing that would stop her from getting up if she truly chose, but hopefully enough to send a gentle message. I am not about to let her get away with simply pretending she hadn’t spoken.

“What do you mean?” I ask quietly.

“Hades, I- um… I just…” She sounds so adorably flustered, but trails off before her words can cohere. 

“I think I’ve come to understand you and your blurts by now, Kore.” I stroke my thumb in slow circles against her arm. “Almost always, what you blurt out is what you’re really thinking, how you’re really feeling, and I have to say I’m intrigued.”

“I-intrigued?” The question comes out as a high-pitched squeak and she clears her throat. “Why are you intrigued?”

“What man wouldn’t be intrigued to hear a beautiful woman say he ‘feels like home’?” I chuckle. “As a matter of fact, I think I’d like to call in that deal we made.”

“W-which one is that?”

“That I get to ask you one personal question. I’ve been saving it all this time, just waiting for the perfect chance, the perfect question.” Sliding my hand down her wrist, I pluck hers from its perch around her mug and interlace our fingers. “How do you  _ really _ feel about me? Since apparently, I feel like  _ home _ and I’m fairly sure that’s not  _ just _ a friend thing.” I lean down and press a gentle kiss against her hair, stifling a groan at the intoxicating floral scent of her. I close my eyes for a moment, grateful she can’t see this split-second of uncertainty, before consigning myself to whichever of the Fates watches over foolish, lovelorn gods. It’s time to take the leap. I can only hope she catches me on the other side. 

Bringing our joined hands up above her head, I salute her knuckles with a kiss before whispering against her skin. “Because you’ve felt like home to me for as long as I can remember.”

There. It’s out in the open. It’s a curious relief to have it said, this burning knowledge I’ve carried for so long. Because it’s true for me, this thing that she blurted so artlessly. This tiny goddess has come to represent a sense of safety and haven that I never knew I lacked.

She is utterly silent, still but for her breathing, and I can’t tell what she’s thinking. I can’t even see her face. I wait as patiently as I can, my heart in my throat. Finally, she starts to move. Twisting gently, she releases my hand and turns to face me, kneeling on the couch. I let her move, anxiety roiling in my chest. She sets aside her mug of tea on the coffee table and takes my own mug as well, setting it aside.

Finally, she raises her gaze to mine. I can’t read her expression beyond a gentle, inquisitive amusement. Not precisely what I had hoped to see, but at least she doesn’t seem offended.

“That’s quite a question, Hades.” She purses her mouth and I have to stifle a groan as I squash the urge to brush my thumb over that full lower lip. I try for bravado.

“It was intended to be. What would have been the point of saving it all this time otherwise?”

She ducks her head in acknowledgment of my point. “That is true enough. However… it seems to me that such an important question deserves something more than a quick answer.”

“Oh?” I raise one eyebrow.

“Would you be interested in a wager? On a game of chess.” She nods toward the table in the corner. A chess set, stored away in a wooden box, rests upon it, next to a board of onyx and white marble. “If you win, I’ll answer your question.”

“And if you win?”

“I think I’ll keep that a secret for now,” she murmurs with an elegant shake of her head. “So, what do you think?”

I should probably be irritated at her changing the rules of our deal. Should be. Probably. But I can’t. Not when she’s looking at me like that, an amused challenge in her eyes. I tilt my head, peering at her over the rims of my glasses.

“I’ll take that wager.”

Rising smoothly from the couch, I hold out my hand to her. As she takes it and stands, with a small, inscrutable smile, I feel as though a circuit has been completed, lightning dancing through me. I’m surprised sparks don’t leap from our hands. I still don’t really know the depth of her feelings, but it can’t possibly be that she does think of me as only a friend. I would be content if she were only just starting to see me differently, but even aside from what she said, there is no reason for all this if she does not feel  _ something _ more. 

Leading the way to the game table, I settle her into one of the chairs before taking the other myself. Opening the carved box, I roll up my sleeves before pulling out the black jade and alabaster pieces.

“Would you like white or black, Kore?”

She smiles. “I believe I shall take white, Hades. It worked out quite well for me the last time we played for a wager.”

I give her a flat look. Which is slightly spoiled by the fact that I can’t keep my mouth from twitching up into a smile. “I’m wise to you now, goddess of Spring,” I warn, pointing at her with a black rook. “You know you can’t hustle me again.”

“Hades, I wouldn’t dream of it,” she demurs, “Besides, it’s so much more fun to beat you fair and square.”

I chuckle. “Don’t get too cocky. If I recall correctly, we’re about even on the wins and losses at this point.”

“Then you should be sure to not get sloppy if you want your question answered, wouldn’t you say?”


	2. Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chess game: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1002083 The moves pick up at about move number 24.

I watch her as she peruses the board. The number of neatly lined up, captured pieces are about even for each of us. 

The symmetry of this appeals to me. Once, she showed me who she truly was with a chess game and a wager. While we have played many times since then, it’s fitting that this potential momentous shift also entails a game and a wager.

She shifts her bishop to take a pawn, moving it to the side. My eyes skate over the board and I can see a potential checkmate. I’ll have to proceed cautiously, and it will probably be a sacrifice play, but… tonight would seem to be the night for risks. I advance a knight.

Persephone raises one eyebrow and glances up at me but says nothing. I return as innocent a look as I can. It appears to be a foolish move and, indeed, she takes the knight with her pawn. I am not concerned. 

She taps the carved jade figure against her cheek for a moment, just at the corner of her mouth, an idle gesture, almost as though she’s unaware she’s doing it. I, on the other hand, am far from unaware. My fingers itch to stroke at the corner of her mouth just where the carved stone muzzle of the horse rests.

Two can play at that game. 

I take her pawn with a bishop. “I’m eagerly awaiting hearing the answer to my question, Kore.” Lifting the little pawn, I roll my fingertip over the rounded top suggestively, keeping as bland a look on my face as I can manage. 

She squints at me as she moves a bishop one rank to align with mine. “I would have thought you above such petty distraction techniques, Hades.” It is unclear whether she means my fondling of the chess piece or my reference to the wager. The hint of blush I can see in her cheeks could suggest either.

I grin and spread my hands in an innocent gesture. “Who says it’s for distraction? We both know what we’re playing for.” My mind stutter-steps as the unintended double-entendre of my words hits me. The tiny, sly grin I can see on her face tells me that she picked up on it as well. Damn it.

Giving myself a mental shake and a reprimand to focus, I capture her bishop with my queen, leaving her king in immediate danger. “Check.” 

However, the queen is menaced by two pawns and she immediately takes advantage of this, capturing my queen. “Are you sure you’re not getting sloppy, Hades?”

“Quite.” Her pawn is captured by a rook. “Check.”

She moves the king diagonally, taking the piece out of danger, and I advance a bishop, capturing a pawn. A quick move of her bishop and subsequent capture by my rook… and her king is neatly pinned.

“Check and mate.” I’m unable to keep a trace of smugness out of my tone as she stares at the board, open mouthed. I lean forward, elbows braced on my knees and look at her over my glasses, taking just a moment to revel in my victory. “So, are you going to answer my question?”

I’m expecting shyness from her. Some kind of deferential reaction to the potential awkwardness. We’ve been dancing around this forever, it seems like, and now it’s out in the open. But she doesn’t look shy in the least. A slow smile spreads across her face, and my heart begins to race.

She rises from her chair, taking a long moment to carefully smooth down her skirt before sauntering around the chess table. I swallow hard, tearing my eyes from the sway of her hips, up to her face. What I see there sets my pulse from racing to pounding. I know what her answer is.  _ Oh, Gaia _ . I  _ know _ what her answer is… 

I had thought perhaps she might be just beginning to consider me as more than a friend. It would appear I was wrong by orders of magnitude. If there had been any reason to even vaguely wonder about her true feelings toward me, they are now ash in the heat in her eyes.

She leans close. Caught as surely as a rabbit in a snare, I am helpless to look away. When she reaches up and slides my glasses off my face, I can smell the floral scent of her perfume on her wrist. It’s all I can do to not bury my nose against her skin.

“I believe I already have answered your question, Hades,” she whispers, that same smile curving her lips, “or have you not been paying attention?” 

She folds my glasses carefully, placing them among the remnants of the chess game, and raises her hands to cup my face. I forget how to breathe. Her breath is warm and scented with jasmine as it washes against my lips, a whisper of space between us.

“I could say it again if you need.”

The first brush of her lips is electric.

The kiss is feather-light, teasing, and it lights a thread of flame in my blood like a match to tinder. A whimper that might have embarrassed me if I’d only had the spare focus for it, bubbles up from deep in my chest and I raise my hands, almost without conscious thought, to grip her hips. It seems almost impossible that we could be here, at this point, at last. 

Persephone draws back, enough to look at me, all determined brazenness. 

I grin at her.

“Say it  _ again _ .”

Her grin is a mirror of my own before she lunges forward and catches my lips once more. This kiss is not light. It is not teasing. Pure heat and hunger flow from her like waves. Waves that I am only too pleased to meet with my own.

I open my mouth under hers, an invitation she takes immediately, tongue sweeping in to press against mine and bringing with it the taste of tea, jasmine and raspberry. She presses forward, sliding into my lap, bent knees on either side of my thighs, gently forcing me back into the chair. I go willingly, sliding one hand up from her hip to wrap my arm around her lower back and pulling her flush against me.

The warm weight of her, the solid  _ reality _ of what we’re doing, seems to break something inside me. My frustrated longing for her has become such a constant companion that it’s almost surreal to think I now might get to act on it. 

She shifts closer against me, aligning our bodies and I groan raggedly into her lips at the twin soft pressures of her chest and her hips against my own. The slow throb that has been building in my groin all evening crescendoed the moment she climbed onto me. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if she could feel the beat of my pulse. My fingers spasm, almost involuntarily, into the soft swell of her hip and I’m unable to keep from bucking against her, just a little, the desperate and instinctive search for counter-pressure. A gasp I cannot hold in breaks the seal of the kiss.

“ _ Kore _ .” My whisper is hoarse, my voice catching over desire.

She nips at my lower lip, the scrape of her teeth drawing a shiver down my spine, and leans back a bit, enough to look me in the eye. The sultry heat in her gaze pulls a growl from me.

“Does that answer your question, Hades?” she drawls, “Or shall I answer yet again?” 

I can’t help a grin, despite the need coursing through me. Seeing confidence in her has always done things to me. Especially when that confidence is directed  _ at _ me. I tighten my arm around her and my fingers at her hip.

“Exquisitely. Although, I wouldn’t say no to repetition and reinforcement of the information.”

There is a wicked twist of mischief in her eyes. “I considered asking you the same question, but…” She snakes her hand between us and palms me. The firm but gentle touch steals my breath and her grin widens. “I think this is answer enough.”

“I-ind-deed…” I lack enough focus to be annoyed at my stutter. Every bit of my concentration is honed on the small, nimble fingers kneading onto me. I grip her hips with both hands, breath heaving, pleasure darting jaggedly through my veins. I want her.  _ Gaia _ , how I want her… But, I need to know. I need to know what she wants, what she needs. I know her history and I’ll be damned if I ever give her reason to fear me.

I groan, “Where are you looking to go with this, Kore?”

She tilts her head to the side and twitches her fingers, the tiny motion as arresting as a shout. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

I shudder hard. The slow, firm strokes are making it too difficult to focus on what I need to say. Reaching down, I still her hand, though I lack the willpower to remove it completely.

“I’m only looking to make sure.” I’m pleased my voice only trembles slightly. “I don’t want you to regret anything.”

She smiles softly. “I won’t.”

“I want you.” There is no other way to say it than simply.

Her smile becomes a gentle smirk. “I can tell.” She leans forward and kisses me, combing her fingers into my hair with her free hand, this caress of her lips as sweet as the last was heated. It’s all I can do to not lean in and follow when she draws back once more. “I want you, too,” she says, softly, “and, I think the only thing I could regret is if we stopped.” She lifts my hands in her own to the buttons of her blouse and leaves them there, her meaning clear. “So, please…” Persephone braces her own hands on my shoulders and whispers, “Let’s not stop.”

I’ve always prided myself on the ability to follow directions.


	3. Following Directions

The buttons are quick work. I only fumble slightly when Persephone leans forward and trails kisses along my jaw and down the side of my neck. Each touch of her lips nearly brands me. Once her shirt hangs open, I slide my hands into the gap, palms pressed to her belly and fingers splaying over her ribs and flanks. So small. So warm.

She sighs at my touch, shuddering lightly, her breath fanning against the skin of my neck. Feeling emboldened, I twitch my left hand upward, sliding over the lacy cup of her bra. Her breath hitches as I cup the round weight of her breast in my palm and, for a moment, she seems to stop breathing entirely as I gently pull down the scalloped hem.

It doesn’t take much of a motion to rub the pad of my thumb against her exposed nipple, but the reaction it provokes in her is near explosive. Persephone grips my shoulders hard and gasps, her hips stuttering forward slightly.

“A little sensitive, are we?” I murmur, unable to resist teasing her a little. In truth, the knowledge that I provoke her so lends a further fire to my arousal that I hadn’t thought possible. She pants against my neck.

“Twenty percent scoundrel, Hades.” Her words are ragged.

I chuckle and dip my head down to kiss her ear. “Thought I was at that already.” I feel her shake her head against my neck.

“Dropped you down five points for the tea. Up five points again for the teasing.” She raises her head to look at me intently, with fire in her eyes. “And I’ll raise it more if you don’t fucking  _ do that again _ …”

Delighted by her intensity, I laugh outright. “Yes, ma’am!” Taking the hard nub between thumb and forefinger, I roll it, pinching lightly, relishing her gasping response. Quickly, before she can complain about stopping once more, I slide my hand from her breast around her back and lean forward, arching her backward, replacing my fingers with lips and tongue.

Persephone cries out, the shocked sound of pleasure echoing through the room, and her fingers thrust clumsily into my hair, holding me in place. I flick my tongue against her, soaking in her small gasps and moans as my free hand, almost without conscious thought, slides down. Ribs, hip, thigh, the silky material of her skirt sliding beneath my fingertips.

I grip her knee, my hand just under the hem of her skirt, pausing for a moment, but there is no change in her pleased gasps. My fingers begin a slow slide upward, under the material of her skirt this time. I can’t hold in a groan. The skin of her thigh slides under my touch, smooth as butter. The throbbing ache between my legs, threading up into my gut, is difficult to ignore but I force it to the back of my mind, focusing all of my attention on her.

Persephone’s breathing grows more unsteady, her gasping cries more and more frequent, as my hand creeps higher. Finally, my questing fingers reach the lacy edge of her underwear, smoothing the fabric against her skin. Tracing my fingers along the elastic, I follow it up and over her hip. Persephone’s gasps give way to breathy whimpers and I raise my head once more, bringing my other hand up her spine to cup the back of her head.

“Kore, are you-” I begin to ask, but she interrupts, falling forward a bit. Her arms loop loosely around my shoulders and her forehead tilts against mine. I can see her eyes are closed tight.

She is trembling.

“Please,” she pleads in a low moan. “Oh, please. Hades, I’m fine- just, please touch me. Anywhere. Everywhere.”

Her eager moans pull tight the hot arousal spiraling through me and I am only too pleased to do as she asks. Turning my hand palm up, I slip my fingers between her legs and the groan that breaks from me echoes hers. The heat I can feel through the soaked fabric nearly undoes me then and there.

I press against her, impeded by the cloth still covering her, searching, stroking. Her hands grip into my shoulders and I use the tension I can feel in her to gauge what she likes. Strokes to the hard nub hidden within her folds garners louder whimpers and I leave my thumb there to massage gently as I walk my fingers down. I slide carefully against her covered softness until it gives way and I can press ever so slightly inward. Moments of stroke and massage stretch out between us, her encouraging moans growing ever more frequent.

The backs of my fingers lie against my own hard arousal, painfully constricted by now in my trousers. There is an almost savage need in me to simply move my hand away and grind against her wet heat. I push down the desire with an effort. This is for her.

Hooking one finger under the elastic, I nudge aside the barrier of her underwear. Skin to skin, even in this smallest but most intimate of ways, is everything, and my moan is ripped straight from my gut as I delve into her folds. My fingers slip against her and into her and Persephone gives a choked, shocked wail. Her eyes fly open to stare wildly into mine, her pink irises glazed and unfocused by arousal. The tension in her body and the flutters I can feel within her tell me everything I need to know and the grin I give her is pure, hungry heat.

“You’re close, aren’t you?”

She gives a fervent, frantic nod and I thrust my fingers, driving a cry from her lips.

“Then come for me, Kore.”

I begin a strong rhythm, the thrust and retreat of fingers and relentless massage of thumb as counterpoints to her helpless sounds of pleasure. It isn’t long before the flutters I can feel through her inner muscles become trembles and the trembling of her limbs becomes shaking. Her nails dig into my shoulders, tiny crescent points of pain providing distraction from my own desperate arousal at watching her come undone. 

Finally, she inhales hard. Her back stiffens, muscles taut, for a small eternity the only movements in her are the tremors I can feel within. Then, the tension shatters as her inner muscles clamp hard around my fingers and she crumples against my chest with a wail. I hold her close, whispering soothing words as she shudders, my fingers still buried inside, still cupping her, able to feel every contraction and release of her orgasm.

Her body relaxes slowly, though I can see and feel her still twitching from time to time with the aftershocks. Persephone raises her head from my shoulder and I grin broadly at the dazed, heavy-lidded look on her face. That look is ample compensation for the need still raging through me. I think I’d do just about anything to be the one to cause that look as often as she’ll let me.

“Hello, sweetness,” I murmur, drawing my hand from the back of her head to cup her cheek. “You look like you enjoyed yourself.”

Persephone swallows hard and tries to speak, but all that emerges is an inarticulate mumble. I chuckle at her, stroking my thumb over her cheek. She shakes her head, as though to clear cobwebs, and tries again as her dazed look gives way to one of amazed wonder.

“Hades… what the fuck  _ was _ that?!”

The splintered aftermath of pleasure in her tone does wonders for my ego and wreaks havoc on my control. My hand at her cheek strokes gently. “That, my dear, was you looking absolutely glorious.” My other hand also strokes, a twitch to remind her how intimately we are still connected. She squeaks, fingers clutching into my shoulders. “And I would be pleased to do it again.”

I can almost see the tumble of thoughts running through her mind. A sifting of possibilities. The calculating smile that spreads over her face sends a frisson of heat down my spine and tears a heart-felt groan from my chest. The unbidden thought rises that I may not know just what I’ve let myself in for.

“I don’t know, Hades.” Her voice is a low, wicked murmur, as her hands trail almost absently over my chest to the collar of my shirt. Nimble fingers begin slowly popping the buttons. “I mean- it was good and all. But it seems to me that you might need more  _ practice _ .”

Her emphasis on the word is pointed as she looks up at me through thick lashes. Her game is clear.

“Practice, Kore?” I pitch my voice low and lean in to whisper in her ear as I flex my fingers. She writhes. “Practice makes perfect, I suppose. And I try to make a habit of-” She keens lowly in my ear in response to a deeper thrust. “Striving for perfection.”

Her breathing is ragged as she gasps, “I guess I’ll just- just have to let you p-practice on m-me.” I grin and trace my fingers from her cheek down to her breast, tweaking the nipple lightly just to hear her breath hitch.

“As often as you’ll let me.”

Persephone turns her head and her mouth is on mine once more, urgent kisses threatening to devour me, her hands coming up to cradle my face. I meet her need with my own, frustrated and stifled desire finding an outlet in the crash of lips, tongues and teeth. It is impossible for me to not feel the arousal growing in her once more and I groan into her mouth, bucking my hips against her and my hand pinned between us. 

She breaks the kiss, the look in her eyes holding me pinned, and her breathy whisper searing.

“Take me to bed, Hades.”


	4. Of Clothing Equity

“Take me to bed, Hades.”

The surge of desire spurred by her words takes a moment to tamp down enough so that I can answer with even a vaguely steady voice.

“Sweetness, I’d be honored.”

She whimpers as I withdraw my fingers from her, the needy sound spearing straight into the whirlpool of arousal churning within me. I have to stifle a whimper of my own as I stand, cradling her against me, and she clings, wrapping her legs around my waist, our hips aligned. 

Her skirt is rucked up around her waist and her soft heat against my throbbing ache makes it difficult to focus on navigating down the hall to my bedroom. Her fingers, busy at the buttons of my shirt, aren’t helping. By the time we reach the bedroom, my shirt is completely undone and she has begun pulling it from the waistband of my trousers, only stopped in removing it entirely by my suspenders.

Coming to the bed, I sit on the edge, still holding her, unable to muster the willpower to set her down and break this contact. With the support of my thighs beneath her once more, Persephone begins to move, her pink eyes hooded and holding me in thrall. With her knees braced on the bed, either side of my hips, she writhes, undulating against me, almost as though the very concept of lust and desire were made solid in my arms.

Puts Aphrodite to shame, indeed…

This cannot last, however. My own need, carefully suppressed all this time, is reaching a dangerous point. If I am to avoid embarrassing myself, I must create some distance to regain control. Regretfully, I grip her thighs, stilling her movements, and grate out, “I’m going to need you to stop that, Kore.” Her head tilts.

“Don’t you like it?”

“Too much.”

Her brow furrows a little in confusion, then I can see understanding bloom on her face. She blushes.

“Oh,” she says simply, and I smile, lifting her from my lap. Setting her onto her feet, between my knees, I rub slow touches across her hips. I can’t resist teasing her.

“If you want, you can dance in my lap and drive me mad some other time, sweetness. For now, though, I would dearly love to see you.” I hook my thumbs into the waistband of her skirt.

“You make a bold assumption, Hades.” The blush still tints her cheeks, but she is clearly trying to recover her equilibrium. Her seeming rebuff is belied by her hands covering mine and edging her skirt down.

“Oh?” I grin as the elastic slips over her hips and return my hands to her waist as she continues to push the skirt lower. “And what would that be?”

“That there will be ‘some other time’.”

Her words are at odds with her teasing tone and the smile on her face. My grin widens as her skirt drops to mid-thigh, revealing the lingerie I had only felt before. She releases the garment, letting it fall to the floor, and shrugs out of her open blouse with a sinuous movement of her shoulders.

“Of course,” she continues, “I never said it wasn’t a  _ safe _ assumption. Just a bold one…”

I stroke from her hips, up to span her ribs, then back down her thighs, unable to stop touching her.

“I am nothing if not bold.”

Persephone leans down, the tickling caress of her lips on mine sensuous. “Well, my bold lord of the dead, there seems to be a clothing disparity between us.” She slides her hands along my chest, moving outward, and slipping under my suspenders, pushing them off my shoulders. “I would very much like to change this.”

“I also am nothing if not equitable.” I shrug out of the suspenders, leaving them loose around my hips, taking the opportunity to also shed my dress shirt. Bare-chested now, I return my hands to her, sliding my grip from her waist down the curve of her thighs, thumbs grazing the padded flesh of her hipbones. Her own hands are busy, light and quick-fingered touches dancing over my chest and shoulders. I fight to control my breathing.

Her fingers smooth over the pale scars and she looks troubled at the extent of them.

“Old hurts, sweetness,” I reassure her softly, “Long faded. Please don’t let it bother you.”

“I think I like them, in a way.” She traces one puckered line, grazing a nipple along the way and I hiss in a breath. “You’re dangerously close to perfect as it is.”

“I never claimed any sort of perfection, Kore. At any rate, you are much closer than I.” I raise my hands and rub along her arms, sweeping one hand down to lift hers, and press a kiss to her palm, hungry for any and all contact. “Do we approach equity, o arbiter of decorum?”

“Hmm,” Her glance and musing hum is frankly appraising and sends shivers down my spine. She is already tilted toward me, but now she leans closer, until I have no choice but to give way before her as she crawls up onto the bed, hovering over me on hands and knees. I scoot back into the middle of the bed, lying flat, and she follows. “Closer,” she whispers, and kisses me, this one beggaring the others for comparison. She is over me, mostly naked, in my bed… I’d think I dreamed but for the tangible, breathless reality of her stealing my wits with her lips and warm breath.

Running fingers up along her spine, I find the clasp of her bra and flick it open, letting it fall loosely around her shoulders. Sitting up slightly, Persephone breaks the kiss to stare down at me with a knowing look.

“What happened to clothing equity?”

I shrug, laughing. “Balance of power in favor of the king.” She snorts and sits up, straddling my belly, and I groan at the feeling of wet heat against sensitive skin.

“I suspect I might just upend your entire balance of power by the end of the night, Hades,” she says, letting the bra fall from her arms, “But you may keep it for now.”

Any sarcastic retort I might have made dies unspoken at the sight of her, nearly nude, straddling me, pink swells of flesh rising in tempting curves, only her most intimate parts hidden from me. My throat works soundlessly, my mouth dry. I had thought I was hard before. The dull ache and throbbing is no longer dull, no longer ignorable. White-hot wires run through every vein.

“I’d like to explore a bit,” Persephone whispers as she lands whisper-soft kisses at the corner of my mouth, on my jaw, down my throat, “If that’s all right with you, that is.”

I have to swallow multiple times before I can speak, my head lolling back as her lips press to my thundering pulse.

“P-perfectly fine. I have to warn you though.” She wrings a muffled cry from me as her lips pull briefly at a nipple. “I’m not sure how m-much endurance I have for your ex-explorations.”

“That’s fair,” she whispers from somewhere around my navel, soft curves stretched out along my legs. “As I said, the assumption of ‘other times’ is a safe one.”

The pop of a button and a zipper’s rasp seem to echo through the room and every breath I ever thought about taking leaves my lungs in a rush as her small hand burrows into my now-open trousers. She gently draws my length out into the cool air and a strangled moan climbs my throat. Her soft touch, the freedom of open air after being confined and hard for so long, her very nearness. Almost dizzy, I clench my hands into the blankets.

After a moment of stillness, I prop myself up on one elbow and look down at her. She is staring down at my erection, lying heavy against the crease between belly and thigh, a strange look on her face.

“Kore? Are you all right?”

Startled, she looks up and meets my eyes. “You’re… um… quite big.” Her voice is quiet. I smile at her. I hardly define myself by masculinity, but it’s nice to be acknowledged.

“Are you worried?”

“Er- a bit,” she admits. “Mostly, um… I’m just imagining it.”

I can’t hold in a growl. “And just what are you imagining, sweetness?” I whisper heatedly as she blushes furiously and my smile turns feral. “Because I’m fairly s-sure I’ve been imagining the same thing all evening.”

Persephone ducks her head, her blush growing darker, clearly embarrassed, but she tilts her head and gives me a sensual smile.

“It’s good to know we’re on the same page. However, since we’re operating on the assumption this will happen again, I think I’d like to hold off on imaginings for a bit and do this…” Her small fingers curl around me and I inhale sharply. Which breath promptly leaves my lungs in a painful exhale as she engulfs my length in her mouth. I fall flat on the bed, gasping and helpless in her grip. Her lips and tongue, her fingers, inexpert though they are, carry an intoxicating enthusiasm that sweeps me away as surely as the tide.

Reaching down, I comb my fingers into her hair, desperate for some anchor against the sensations shattering my thoughts. Here, now, with her, like this. It is almost more than I can bear. Pleasure slides through my veins like a fine wine, just as intoxicating. I look down at her and the sight that greets my eyes nearly finishes me then and there. As she pleasures me, her mouth and hand stroking, her other hand is buried between her own legs. She has shed her underwear and I can see all of her bare flesh as her fingers, slick, vanish and reappear slowly.

The groan wrenched from me is almost animalistic. I am seized by a powerful need to touch her, to have some sort of distraction from the maelstrom tearing through me.

“Move up here, sweetness,” I whisper hoarsely, “I want to touch you.” She lifts her head and shakes it, still stroking slowly with both hands.

“No, Hades. Let me do this for you. Think of it as repayment for earlier.” She returns to her self-appointed tasks.

I want to protest. I want to argue that this is not some sort of equal time arrangement. But I can’t. I can’t do much more than moan helplessly, in thrall to the touch of her hand and the wet clasp of her mouth. The need spiking through me, suppressed for so long this evening, is quickly roaring out of my control. Which tenuous grip shatters utterly as she moves her hand away from me and sinks my length into her throat. She can’t quite take all of it, but it is enough, and I am undone by the sight and the wet, hot pressure.

“ _ Kore _ !” I almost howl as my climax slams through my body, wrenching spasms sparking through me. I curl forward, instinctively drawing nearer to her, gasping and groaning.

She moves up over me, enfolding my shuddering body against her own, murmuring soothing words as the orgasm slowly releases me. When it’s over, only aftershocks trembling through my limbs, she kisses me sweetly. I can taste myself on her tongue.

“I, um- came a little when you did,” she confesses, her eyes bright, “That was hot.”

A startled laugh breaks free and I scoop her into my arms to drape across my chest, exultant joy suffusing every fiber of my being.

“You think so, do you?” I chuckle teasingly, loving her matter-of-fact sensuality. “I suppose we’re on the same page on that as well!” She giggles, the motion bouncing her breasts against my chest enticingly.

“So, how long before the god of the dead is ready for more?”


	5. Connection

Letting my head fall back against the bed with a bone-deep sigh, I mumble, “Give me a few minutes if you would. You’ve left me a little spent.”

She giggles and looks down before sliding off me to sprawl on the bed. “You might want to lose the pants as well.”

“Would you believe I didn’t even notice?” Levering myself up to sitting with a groan, I stand and strip off the remainder of my clothing, sliding back onto the bed with her once more, sprawled on my side.

She immediately moves to wrap around me, her small body covering as much of mine as she can. Hugging her close, I stroke her hair and drop kisses onto the top of her head. How did we end up here? It’s been a bewildering evening, but I am not about to question what the Fates have dealt us too closely.

Persephone rains kisses across my chest and I chuckle, stroking hands over her shoulders, breasts, belly, hips. “What would you like, Kore?” I murmur. She hesitates for the barest moment, a blush tinting her cheeks, before reaching down and gripping me. I inhale, beginning to harden once more.

“This, Hades,” she whispers. “I want everything. I want to know what it feels like. I want to know everything you can show me.” She reaches up with her free hand and grabs the back of my neck with the same gentle but inescapable grip in which she holds my rapidly returning erection. I am caught, transfixed by her hands and the look of raw hunger in her eyes. “I want you inside me. Please.”

I have no time to respond before her mouth is on mine. Fired by the simple eroticism of her words, I clutch her closer, hands sliding to grip her hips and pull her nearer. Her legs slide up around my waist once more, only this time, there are no barriers between us, no clothing, only air and our own skins. Her slick warmth slides against my shaft and I’m not sure which of us whimpers louder.

Her hips buck, uncoordinated, seeking blindly. With strokes to her back meant to soothe, I whisper to her, “Easy, Kore. Patience. I’m not going anywhere. You’ll have me.”

Her whisper is intent, muffled against my chest, but clear as a shout. “I’ve been patient my whole life, Hades. I want more. Now. Please.”

I cannot refuse her, even had I wanted to. Reaching between us, I position myself against her, groaning. The slick heat at her center calls to me and it’s all I can do to not simply plunge into her. I move my upper hand to her hip, stroking up and down her thigh where it lies over my own flank. I’m trembling with the effort of remaining still.

“Are you ready?” I ask hoarsely, one last attempt to make sure she is all right.

Instead of words, her response is an inarticulate cry of frustration and she grips onto my hips with her legs, pulling me into her in one smooth motion.

Our twinned shouts echo through the room as she comes to rest against me, trembling. It takes everything I am, everything I have, every shred of willpower to remain still, to let her adjust.

The tight, slick heat is _just_ becoming unbearable when she begins to move.

The first slow movements of her hips are tentative, hesitating, but it doesn’t take long before she is moving with more confidence. With need.

I hold her against my chest, hands splayed against her back, meeting the movements of her hips with my own thrusts. A litany of soothing words, words of praise and love, tumble from me. I hardly know what I’m saying. All I can think, all I know, is her and the shattering perfection of the moment.

The glory of being joined with her at last breaks me. I am no stranger to sex, but there is something so indefinably _right_ about this that it steals my breath. It’s never been like this before.

The pressure of her hand on my chest breaks through the haze of desire. Yielding to the push, I roll over onto my back, bringing her with me, maintaining the connection. Persephone pushes herself upright, small hands braced on my chest, and looks down at me. She is panting, a little wild-eyed. She’s never looked more beautiful.

“Hades.” Her voice is barely a breath, hardly any sound behind it. I raise a hand to cup her cheek. “I never- I never thought…”

“Shh,” I whisper, “I know.”

She shifts over me, as though testing out how to move in this new position. She gains confidence quickly, her hips moving more smoothly until she is gliding languidly, back and forth, up and down. She seems to be in no hurry. Nor am I. I think I could watch her like this forever, full of confident wonder at discovering her own pleasure. She tilts her hips into a new position, driving gasps from both of us, and a sudden motion catches my eye.

Her hair is growing.

Slowly, as unhurried as her own movements, the heavy weight of her hair swathes down over us, like a living blanket, trailing across the bed. The look on her face is intent but strangely serene, as though she has found where she belongs. I can’t argue. We move together for what seems like ages.

Finally, I feel the trembling begin inside her and her movements take on a new urgency. Tilting my hips just so, I search for the best angle to help her, watching carefully to gauge her reactions. My own end is close, but I am determined that she will come first. The storm builds and builds for long moments, her movements becoming more and more erratic, until finally the tension snaps and she throws her head back with a cry.

The contractions of her inner muscles clamp around me, squeezing, insistent, and she crumples forward as my own orgasm is triggered. I hold her close, both of us shivering with the pleasure wracking us, wrapped in her waterfall of hair.

Slowly, our hearts and breathing calm. She raises her head from where she’d pressed against my neck and kisses me, slow, gently, the gesture sweet and loving. Curled together like this, sharing the aftermath of passion, still joined… I think I could happily stay like this forever. I cup her cheek, threading my fingers into her hair as she rests her forehead against mine.

“I love you, you know,” I whisper.

“After all this?” she giggles, “You’d better."

I laugh with her. When have I ever laughed as much as I have with her? Her laughter in the dark, in this bed, might just be my new favorite thing. I lose myself in kissing her for a moment before a thought occurs to me. Something I’d wondered from the wager.

“So, what would you have done if you had won?”

She shrugs, looping her arms around my neck. “Would have gone for this anyway. I figured I’d win either way. Either you won the game and got your question answered, in which case I thought we’d probably end up here. Or I won the game, in which case I’d have done my best to have us end up here. A win-win scenario for me.”

I stare at her, awestruck.

“You… you hustled me _again_!”

She laughs and leans up to plant a pert kiss on the end of my nose. “I love you, too, Hades.”

Growling in mock-frustration, I drag her closer, wrapping her into an enveloping embrace and tickling as she squeals and giggles. I am not really mad. I can’t be. If I should have learned anything in the time I’ve known her, it’s to not underestimate her. Especially to not underestimate her cleverness when it comes to putting one over on clueless death gods. I release her a little, enough that she can wiggle into a proper hug, nestled against me.

“That really was quite an impressive checkmate, Hades,” She grins. I shake my head with a smile, taking up her hand and kissing it.

“Sweetness, that was nothing. You captured the king long ago.”


End file.
